Saturday, 3 December 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - SUKI MICHELLE & CARLYLE CLARK

The
Apocalypse Gene is a
co-written novel by me, Suki Michelle, born in Chicago, and Carlyle Clark from San
Diego. We live and write together in the Chicagoland area.

2.Did
you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I wanted to be a doctor like my
father but soon discovered that I’d rather write about blood than actually see
it. Carlyle studied criminal justice, but has always wanted to be a writer.

3.When
did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

I’ve always considered myself a
writer. Anyone who writes is a writer, regardless of their skill. However, I didn’t feel like an author until our book was picked up by a
publisher.

4.Did
it take a long time to get your first book published?

It was a long, difficult slog. It
took three years to write and two years to shop around, find a publisher, and
have the manuscript edited and revised. Writing is not a gig for the impatient.

5.Do
you work another job as well as your writing work?

I’m a medical transcriptionist. Carlyle is a security director. We both would
rather be writing.

6.What
is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20
words what would you say?

The
Apocalypse Gene:Summary: Global
pandemic is raging, far more than a mere disease. Only two psychic teens hold
to key to its cure.

7.Who
is your publisher? or do you self publish?

Not self-pubbed - Parker Publishing,
Inc.

8.How
long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to
finishing writing it?

Years!

9.Which
of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?

ALL books are difficult to write.
Each character has a backstory and an arc. There must be evocative setting and
a forward moving plot, and it must always be entertaining. The act of creation
is exhilarating and challenging.

10.What
can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?

Carlyle and I both love to write
scary fantastical stuff, so we’ll stick with fantasy for adults and young
readers, but we also enjoy literary fiction. Twenty-four hours isn’t enough
time to write all the ideas in our weird little noggins.

11.Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

The
Apocalypse Gene is the
first in a series. We are hard at work on the sequel and expect to have it
complete in the summer of 2012. Our
publisher eagerly awaits!

12.What
genre would you place your books into?

The
Apocalypse Gene is cross-genre,
primarily Young Adult Urban Fantasy with elements of Cyberpunk, Paranormal
Romance, and Science Fiction. It is a
complex story suitable for both young readers and adults.

13.Do
you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your
favourite?

The
Apocalypse Gene is
definitely our favorite because it is already out there for everyone to enjoy.

14.Do
you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your
favourite?

To describe our favorite character
would be a major spoiler. She’s the best surprise and doesn’t appear until
Chapter Seven or so – a real scene-stealer. You’ll have to read it to meet
her. Trust us, she’s hilarious, but the
one we can talk about is Olivya, a girl of mixed race with crazy dreadlocks and
a talent for seeing psychic auras. A little rough around the edges, she proves
herself to be a great chick warrior.

15.How
long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

Carlyle and I have both been writing
most of our lives. I’m inspired by oddballs, outcasts, freaks, and geniuses –
real or imagined. Carlyle is inspired by
the crazy notions that pop into his quirky, brilliant mind.

16.Where
do you get your book plot ideas from?

I get my plot ideas from the medical
reports I type all day long. I have to
entertain myself somehow! Carlyle gets many
plot ideas from his love of Japanese anime.

17.Do
you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially
release them?

We are long-time members of an
online writers’ workshop to which we owe a debt of gratitude. It was perhaps the strongest influence in
producing such a quality piece of work as The Apocalypse Gene.

18.Do
you gift books to readers to do reviews?

Absolutely – E-book or
paperback. We are grateful for all the
feedback we can get.

19.Do
you read all the reviews of your book/books?

Not only read – reread – about a
zillion times.

20.What
was the toughest/best review you have ever had?

The toughest review was from my
daughter in the early phases or writing.
She said, “Dude Mommy, this is kinda lame”, which (like all not-so-good
reviews) ultimately made the book much, much better. We’ve gotten many great
reviews. Here is one of our favorites: http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/the-apocalypse-gene/

21.How
do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who
designed the Cover of your books?

The cover is based on a scene that
takes place in the cyber-world. We
described it to our publisher’s art department and they produced what we think
is a gorgeous cover.

22.How
do you market/promote your books?

Primarily online. The best source of marketing comes from
book-blogs like this one, and we are most grateful for this exposure. We’ve gotten so many fans and readers by
interacting with bloggers.

23.What
do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?

A great story with lots of conflict,
compelling characters, unique ideas, and humor, but most of all, tireless
authors who work hard to get the word out.

24.Have
you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get
past the "block"?

I suffer from writer’s block
often. The only way to get past it is to
write write write. Carlyle never has writer’s block. Somehow, his mind is
always free to create. I don’t know how he does it.

26.Have
you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that
have happened to you?

All our characters are composites of
people we’ve known. All our story lines have an element of personal experience.
However, our stories are really far out there – we have vivid imaginations, and
if this stuff really happened, we would all live in a very different never-boring
world.

27.Are
there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like
Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

The
Apocalypse Gene is
ultimately about believing in yourself and in the power of love – an important
message.

28.Is
there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?

I’ve been influenced by the poet,
Emily Dickinson, and her skill at word economy. Carlyle has been influenced quite
a bit by James Lee Burk, master of dialogue.

29.Which
format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?

Any format is fine with us, as long
as it’s a great story.

30.What
is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?

Carlyle and I share a favorite book
– The Little Prince – a lovely, deep story that we’ve both read many times.

31.Do
you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to
movie transfer?

Some do, some don’t. (Ours was BORN
to be a movie!) Best transfer to movies?
The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King.
Worst? The Secret Life of Bees.
In my opinion, it didn’t come close to the power and depth of the book.

32.What
are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook,
hardback or paperback)

I’m reading The Story Sisters
on my Kindle and listening to The Name of the Wind, also on my Kindle.
Both are wonderful!

33.Do
you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?

I believe print books will always be
with us, but they will become more and more scarce in the years to come. You
can’t beat E-books for convenience.

34.Do
you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough to read? and/or
do Imaginative writing?

I hope so. A love of reading
throughout life is probably the single most enriching activity anyone can do,
and without a vivid imagination, great ideas cannot be born.

35.Is
there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just
couldn't finish?

I will never read The Exorcist
because seeing the movie gave me post-traumatic stress disorder for about ten
years. I tried to read The Satanic
Verses but gave up. Man oh man, way
too intellectual for my simple brain.

36.Are
there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why
should we watch out for them?

At the risk of sounding overly
self-serving, I have to say - watch out for US! Our book was recently named
“Critics Choice” at Kirkus Reviews, who proudly boast are “The World’s Toughest
Book Critics”. Our readers always tell
us they’ve never read anything like The Apocalypse Gene. That review and more can be found at our
website and our blog – links below.

37.Is
there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what
would it be?

We totally love The Apocalypse
Gene, but that doesn’t mean we don’t learn from the feedback we get. Our
readers and reviewers have provided us with invaluable input, which will make our
sequel just as exciting and imaginative (if not more) as the first.

38.What
do you think about book trailers?

They’re fun to watch and are
probably good hooks to inspire a reader to investigate further, but I’m not
sure they have a direct impact on sales.
Here is ours: http://youtu.be/anYcfv9AC9I

39.What
piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

Be open to all criticism. Praise is nice, but learning from the words
that sting the most will be the greatest influence on making you a better
writer.

40.Do
you or would you ever use a pen name?

Suki Michelle is my real first and
middle name. I dropped my last name
because everyone, including me, always misspells it. Carlyle Clark is, in real life, Carlyle
Clark. Neither of us would use a made-up
pen name.

About Me

Hi, My name is Sandra, though for my blog I go by an adaptation of my middle name, Jeanz! I live in the UK, started blogging in Aug 2011. I have always loved books!. If a blurb catches my eye I will usually give reading it a go!

About me & my reviews

As of January 2017 all opinions expressed on this blog my own. I do not receive any cash payment for my reviews. I read because we all love reading! Also I no longer use links on my blog through the Amazon Associates Program.